Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Tiburon

What We Ordered: Ahi Tuna, Beef Tenderloin, and Boysenberry Cheesecake

What It Cost: ~$75 (we had a Groupon, so I can't remember exactly)

What We Thought:

Tiburon is one of the few expensive restaurants I've been to here in Utah where I really felt like the high price was worth the bill and I would definitely want to return here again. If you are really looking to impress someone with exceptionally delicious food, Tiburon would be a great place to make a reservation. The only thing I did not enjoy about this restaurant was the other restaurant attendees - come on people! If you are going to be spending $50+ on a meal, please wear something nicer than jeans and a baseball cap! But that's just a personal issue...

The service at Tiburon was very cordial, and we started out our meal with the standard bread basket. I have to apologize ahead of time - these are probably the worst pictures I've ever taken at a restaurant, but I just had to share Tiburon with you! It was a very dark restaurant inside so the pictures are not good, but the food was very delicious!

We started out with the standard bread basket, and the bread was very fresh and soft. Instead of just serving normal butter, we received a sundried tomato herb butter, which was exceptionally tasty and surprisingly sweet. I really didn't want to fill up on bread before our real food came, but it was very good!

I heard someone commenting at a table next to us that they will come to Tiburon just for their house salad, and I can certainly see why! Their delicious house salad was served on a bed of baby mixed greens with Granny Smith apples, a house dried Roma tomato, fontina cheese, candied pecans and a shallot balsamic dressing. It had just the right balance of sweet, salty, sour, savory - you name it. This was one sexy salad, and I definitely look forward to having it again! The only problem with it was that my Roma tomato seemed like it was really cold on my salad, but Owen's salad didn't have that problem, so there must have just been something weird going on.

This little cup may not look like much, but it was a delightful little sorbet that was served in between our salad and entree courses. I especially loved the seasonal raspberry sorbet, with its piquant tartness and rich color. A lemon sorbet was the bottom scoop, and it was a nice way to prepare for our main meal.

Owen received a cut of medium rare beef that was drizzled with a balsamic reduction and creamy peppery sauce. Owen loves pepper, so naturally he found this wonderfully delicious. It was served with some roasted vegetables and I had one delectable bite, but honestly, I was way too distracted and involved with my own meal to pay much attention to what was going on over on his pretty plate...

Man, I wish this picture did any justice to how incredibly amazing this dish was! It was fresh ahi tuna, seared to the most tender rare cut of fresh fish you've ever had in this state of Utah. It was encrusted with black sesame seeds which were so fun to eat when contrasted to the soft, melty meat. It was topped with soy and honey marinated shredded carrot, which helped to freshen up the plate, in addition to some roasted vegetables and pineapple fried rice. The pineapple fried rice was so good, I would order it on it's own! It tasted so light and crunchy, the pineapple was so fresh, sweet and tangy, and I was so full but I had to keep eating it because it was so so so good!

Since I'm from the Pacific Northwest, I get really excited about anything that is boysenberry, marionberry, or huckleberry flavored and we knew we had to order this cheesecake. I don't know how to fully describe it fairly, but this was, without a doubt, one of the best traditional cheesecakes I've ever had. A lovely creme anglais was served with a berry compote atop perfectly prepared cheesecake. It's so unfair that dessert is served at the end of the meal. I always feel like I am too full to enjoy it as much as I should!

What You Should Do: Tiburon is a big YES in my book. Pricey places are so dangerous - you don't want to risk spending so much if it's not worth the cost. But luckily, you have me to guide the way, and I would certainly recommend trying out Tiburon for a special occasion! And make sure to wear something nice!